Safety feeding device for clothes wringers



July 5, 1932. w. T. CLARK SAFETY FEEDING DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRINGERS Filed Nov. 21., 1930 William T. Glazylq NEY,

ofthe operator.

Patented July 5, 1932 wri ten 1; c mien, e m nim se, W;scofi'wfem SAEE'IYV running nnvion roe cno'rnnswnmenns Application sea np'v ter 21, 1930.1"Serial 1q 'o. 4973 20.

The present invention relates to a. safety feeding device acting co-operatively iniasso' ciation witha pair of compression rollers; in

' a power operated machine. mThe saidrfin 1 6 vention is designed partieularly'for;use'as: an adjunct to-the motor driven moistnresex pressing rollers of ahousehold laundry or clothes wringing machine; Its purpose'is the provision of amechanical devicewh'ich 10 operates to feed the textilesto'the compresision rollers by whichthey are to .be'rtreated', with entire freedom from liabilitythatthe fingers of the operator of the machineiwill'be, caught between the rollers. .--I make a dis- :16 tinction between my invention, which functions freely as a feeding devicein such manner that all dangeris' obviated, and prior safety feeding deviceswhichare the nature of guards in the use of which the feedingmof 20 .the textiles isnotsfree,'but'is'subordinate to the idea of preventing. the fingerswof theloperator from being rcaughtv 'by the rollers' :of the machine. I i I I In machines of the class towhich the present invention pertains, in some ofwhichi there is no provisionfor mechanical feeding of the fabri'cs,,the .fingerszof the'hand of theoprerator are frequently caughtbetween the rollers, and often with. very serious cons'e 8 :quences. The persisting presence of this danger has acted in a very large measure'to detract from thepopularity of .the compression roller type of clothes'wringeniand public favor is now swinging; .itoward centrifugal 13 extractors,in the use ofzwhichmore work is required of the operat sired results.

With' aview .to;thef -.eliinination .of the ihazard. mentioned, I have .produceda; safety feeding device of simple constructiom also acting as a guard,.which device isie'asily asso- ;'ciated with? clothes Hwr-ingers': of? existing makes, and may berused withsan: assurance; of

- absolute security against inj u'ryto the fingers rain: effecting? the der In generahtheinventionresiidesinabodily or laterally movable feeder bar, which is suitably rnounted uponzthe frame of the clothes wringer in proximity to and; parallel with 'the compressionrollers thereofywhich feeder of the said bargandlimit its "entry intothe pended I claims will bar is normally retracted position of so as ,toflbe easily engaged by the'wet textile which is. to be'passedbetween the moistureexpressin'gfrollersofthe wringer. The feed er bar supporting the leading end of the textile is moved 'manually toward the rollers, and the tfifextil'e is entered into thebight of the rollers and drawn from the feeder bar.

In so movil'lgvthe feeder bar, the said'bar: is always between thelhands of the operator and the compression :rollers,so that it is not 7 accidentallycaught' by the rollers; I 5 The feeder bar {vibrates between St0p$,-.ohe of Iw hich,.ifn fixedgrelation to, the support: for the bar, determines the normal retracted sition ofirestlofjthe bar, and the other; of which isadjustable on the support to control the extent of the forward feeding movement spacebetweenthe rollers,

possible for. the fingers of the operator to be ln one form, the invention comprises a pivotedxfeeder bar .Which'is moved laterally through ateurvedpath atflthe time of its-foil; I

wardfeeding-n1ove1nent.a In another form, thefeedler bar is mounted on: guides so as to slide into positionin its forward feeding l movements In all .of its' fonns, .thewrestiorationaof the bar its normal'retracted position of rest-is a-wholly automatic operation, indu'cedby the gravitation of the-bar, and. in .this lies the gistof my invention.- I Y Having thus, outlined thefnature 5 and purposes of my invention, I willnowzproceedrto describe the same specifibally,Iand in the appointout the novelty residingtherein. 1

'In the. accompanyingdrawing: I Figure ,1: is alviewin fronteleyation of-i'a icloth'es; wringer,-j shown as :a power driven textractorfof the, compression rollertype, with my safety feedingfdevice positioned thereon rEigI-Q iis' a plan iriew of the construction shownxin-Fig; "1, the feeder =barbeing shown :as in its normal retracted position, that is, ln'fthe open position ofsrest infwhihiitgis' adaptedztomeceive a wet textile g i a -3Eig;3isan enlarged sectional viewtrans- :versely .fof igs; 1' and'2, showing the feeder {bar in its normal retracted position, or 'itspo- V rollers.

'sition of rest, in full lines, and its abnormal through gear connections13. Brackets 1 1.

and 15 are attached to the front of the frame of the clothes wringer at its opposite ends, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. Each bracket is formed with a bearing :l 6',-such bearings be ing provided for the reception ofthe opposite end journals'of a feeder bar 17, the said bar being offset from the axis of itsjournals but extending parallel therewith, Elbows 1 18 and 19, preferably formed "integrally with the feeder bar 17 connect the ends'of' the -latter with the said endjournals. Thejinner faces of the brackets lPand 15 are provided with stops 20 and 21, in substantialhorizontal alignment with the bearings 16', and so positioned upon 'the 'brackets as to form outer stops forthe' feeder bar 17 when the latter drops through the influence of gravity to its normal-retracted position, in which-position it is adapted to receive an end of the wet textile to-be passed through the The elbows 18 and 19 arerecessed as at on the surfaces nearest the expressing rollers.

The bracketslt'and 15 are perforated for the passage therethrough of a screw 23, the end I of which is enteredin' a threaded opening eccentrically disposed in a disc'2 1,'which latteris adapted 'to be received in the recess 22 in the elbow, to- 'form'inner stops forthe feeder bar 17, when the 'latter'is moved to effect a feeding operation. The purpose of the eccentric mounting just described is to enable an exact adjustment of the forward feeding movement of the bar 17 to be made, as'by changing the radius of the contacting pointron the disc 24, which change is effected by rotating the discs 24 to the extent required,

and setting them in; position by tightening the screws 23. r v

In operation, with the feeder bar 17 in its normal retracted position of rest as indicated, one end of the wet textile if: thrown over 7 the bar, as indicated by the phantom in Fig.

' .3.'" Thelsaid bar is .thenlifted by a simple hand movement, one finger under each end being sufficient, so that-it is rotated about' its journals from theffull linereceiving position shown in Fig. 3, to the dotted line delivering position there'shown; In such latter posi- 'tion, the wet textile is carried into such proximityto the moisture-expressing rollers. that its leading portion will be 'ca ught'bytherolh 71ers and carried 'therebetween in the rotation ofthe latter. The construction and manner of mounting of the-feeder bar are such that 'forconvenient operation :I claim and desire'toisecure 7 0f the Unitedstates, is:

when freed from the textile which is passing through the rollers, the said bar will drop into its normal retracted position of rest, and will thus automatically position itself for the reception of another wet textile. The automatic return of the feeding bar to its normal position of rest, is due to the construction wherein the center of gravity of the bar isalways at one side of the vertical plane of the axis about which it turns, in any position of the bar; Inother words, the journals are offset from the vertical plane of the bar.

Fig.4 shows a modification of my invention ingwhich the same principle of automatic restoration of the feeder bar to normal retracted position iseffected. In this.construction, I mount brackets '30, one of which is shown,.upon the frame of the machine as before. Attached to each bracket is an arcuate guide 31, provided atits lower dependingv end witha retaining nut 32. The widened. ends 33 of the feeder bar1171 are provided with outwardly projecting cars 34 and35, each perforated so as to allow the 'feederzbar to slide freely on the curved guides 31. The feeding movement of the Wet textile is the same as in the principal structure, and

when released from the draft of the wet textile,-the bar 171:will slide along the guides 31, automatically assuming its normal retracted position, as before; Adjustment of theextent of the feeding movement of the bar 171 in relation to the rollers may be made by 'placingshims 36, in any suitable 5 number, upon the guides 31, in advance'of the ear 34. j The surface curvature of the feeder bar tends to spread the wet fabric uniformly over the entire linear area of the feeder bar, and prevent it from bunching while passing through :the rollers. The transverse flanges 37 atthe ends of the active surface ofthe feeder bar, confine the wet textile to the desired path offmovement while being drawn through the compression rollers.

The safety feeding device is applicable to either'side of the clothes wringer and may easily be arranged'tomeet the requirement Having thus described'm invention, what y LettersPatent 1. In a device of the classdescribedya frame, apair of moisture-expressing rollers mounted thereon, and a normally retracted laterally movable pivoted bar for supporting and feeding a wet textilebetween the" said rollers, the centerxof gravity of the said bar being at one side of the vertical plane ofthe :axis of the bar, wherebywhen. the textile is drawn from the bar by the-rollers,:thebar will automatically: resume. 'its an 'ormal retracted'position. 1 n

In a device of the class described, a frame, a pair of moisture-expressingrollers mounted thereon, and a gravitating laterally i izo movable pivoted bar for supporting and feeding a wet textile between the said rollers, the center of gravity of the. said bar being at one side of the vertical plane of the axisof the bar, whereby when the textile is drawn from the bar by the rollers, the bar will gravitate into its normal retracted position. I v

3. In a device of, the class described, a

frame, a pair of moisture-expressing rollers mounted thereon, a pivoted, laterally movable bar for supporting and feeding a Wet textile between the said rollers, and brackets. attached to the frame and supporting the said bar in a normal retracted position to receive a wet textile and for permitting the feeding movement of the bar, the center of gravity of the said bar being at one side of the vertical plane of the axis of the bar, whereby when the textile is drawn from the bar by the rollers, the bar will return to its normal retracted position.

4. In a device of the class described, a

frame, a pair of moisture-expressing rollers mounted thereon, a laterally movable pivoted bar for supporting and feeding a wet textile between the said rollers, brackets attached to the frame for supporting the said bar in a normal retracted position to receive a wet textile and for permitting the feeding movement of the bar, the center of gravity of the said bar.

being at one side of the vertical plane of the axis of the bar, and means on the brackets for limiting such feeding movement, whereby when the textile is drawn from the bar by the rollers, the bar will automatically resume its normal retracted position.

7 5. In a device of the class described, a frame, a pair of moisture-expressing rollers mounted thereon, a gravitating, laterally I movable pivoted bar for supporting and feeding a Wet textile between the said rollers,

means for supporting the said bar in a normal retracted position to receive a wet textile and for permitting the feeding movement of the bar, the center of gravity of the said bar being at one side of the vertical plane of the axis of the bar, and means for limiting such feeding movement, whereby when the textile is drawn from the bar by the rollers, the bar will gravitate into its normal retracted position. 3 v In testimony whereof, I have signed my name at Milwaukee, this 15th day of November, 1930.

WM. T CLARK 

